It was long thought to either be a subspecies or a color variation of Solenopsis invicta (the red imported fire ant, or simply RIFA), but is now recognized as its own species with a demonstratively different range and living habits.

[citation needed] Due to the BIFA higher body content of water than the RIFA conclusions demonstrate the certain factor plays a role in their differences of living regions.

In the United States, the official assessment is that BIFA are limited to extreme northeastern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama and a few southern counties in Tennessee,[2] though this may reflect underestimation of their range.

As of April 2013 their range has been found as far north as the tidewater area of Virginia, and as of July 2016 they have been reported near coastal South Carolina.

[3] The extent of reaction to imported fire ant stings is variable depending on the quantity of allergic (IgE) antibodies an individual has already formed.